• Public hearing held on proposed Unified Development Code modifications related to residential districts; another public hearing will be held May 4 regarding Residential 2 and Residential 3 adding average lot size of 18,500

• Board voted to approve resolution amending a portion of the Unified Development Code to impose a sun-setting of zoning approvals. Board voted to adopt the resolution, but change any references to “land development” to “land disturbance” throughout the document and change 12 months to 18-month period

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — After more than a year of discussion, input and visioning, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted April 13 to transmit its updated Comprehensive Plan to the state for regional review.

Following regional and state review, the county will have the opportunity to consider adjustments based on the review and final public input.

The 2017-37 plan serves as the county’s long-term policy guide and strategy for future growth and development and identifies how the county and its residents would like to see Forsyth evolve over time. It includes guidance for future development, identifying priorities for the near future and a five-year action plan to set everything in motion. The four areas of focus are land use, economic development, housing and transportation.

After multiple meetings, the board approved the transmittal to the state with a few modifications.

They include:

• A commercial corridor action item be added to a future work session, or work plan, for further discussion by the board

• Changes presented and discussed at the joint meeting of the Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission be adopted for all districts and character areas, excluding the boundaries of the District 4 Coal Mountain Overlay

• Commissioner Pete Amos and Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills’ recommended changes going back to the original proposal be incorporated

• That any transposition of the MU-R/MU-C be corrected. The commissioners asked the plan developers that instead of mixed-use districts being designated as regional, instead call them community.

Many of these changes came from the March 29 special called meeting of the Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission.

The land use component of the plan was structured around the community character maps built last summer. Based on the history of the county and the variety of locations, there were 11 character areas determined.

The areas, identified by the community, are broken down into McFarland, South Ga. 400, Big Creek, Haw Creek, Lanier, Vickery Creek, Campground, North Ga. 400, Chestatee/Jot-Em-Down, Etowah and Sawnee Mountain.

Officials wanted updates to the plan’s character area map. These updates included: expanding the Big Creek node to follow Peachtree Parkway and including the existing mine and adjacent areas; redrawing the North Ga. 400 character area line tighter to Hopewell Road; and removing the Drew node and Vickery node.